Reading driving data via the on-board diagnostic port
Programming Snapshot – Driving Data
© Lead Image © Rene Walter, 123rf.com
A connector plugged into the diagnostic port of Mike Schilli's cars sends current information such as speed, acceleration, and fuel economy via the mobile phone network to a cloud service. An app and a programmable API read out the data and provide stunning visualizations.
I find it absurd to invest half a year's salary on a new car. Instead of more expensive German craftsmanship, I opt for second-hand Japanese cars with screaming VTEC engines from the 1990s. Alas, this type of car won't get you the electronic bells and whistles nowadays commonly associated with the "connected car." In my adopted home of San Francisco, a startup company called Automatic has developed a connector to the car's on-board diagnostic (OBD) port [1] (Figure 1) that continually reads data from the car's on-board computer and feeds the data either to the driver's cell phone or straight to an account in the cloud via the 3G mobile network.
Figure 1: The Automatic adapter is plugged into the car's OBD-II port and wirelessly transmits the engine data over the 3G network.
The data is collated on Automatic's servers. From this data, the driver can then check out their driving route, how often they stepped on the gas like a madman or hit the brakes in the same way, how much gasoline the car consumed, and what the trip cost.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.